Fire and Aviation
United States Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
Technology &
Development Program
July 2003
5100
0351-2324–MTDC
Retrofit Harness for the Firefighter’s Yellow Field Pack
(NFES No. 1372)
Bill Kilroy, Engineering Technician, and George Jackson, Program Leader
T
he yellow field pack (NFES No. 1372)
can be upgraded with a new harness
system (figure 1) that improves the
load-carrying capabilities of the field
pack system. All yellow field packs can be
quickly and easily upgraded with this new
harness to turn the system into a comfortable,
modular, lower lumbar pack design. Simply
replace the current field pack harness (NFES
No. 1557) and the field pack belt (NFES No.
1530) with the new harness system. No modifications are required. The retrofit harness is
a quick and economical way to improve the
current inventory of field packs.
This new harness design was a collaboration by
Ron Friedrich and Jim Nielson. Their company,
What on Earth Wildland Gear (11504 170 St.
NW.; Edmonton, AB T5S-1J7; phone: 780–
455–5757) has been designing web gear and
harnesses for industry, firefighting, and general
outdoor recreation for over 10 years. Ron and
Jim decided to improve the yellow field pack
system after listening to comments by wildland
firefighters from Saskatchewan.
Figure 1—The retrofit harness (front view
The retrofit harness is a linked two-piece sysleft, and back view) for the field pack
tem. The first component is a waist belt that
system will allow firefighters to cary their
acts as a back support, transferring the load
gear more comfortably.
to the hips to reduce fatigue. The second part
of the system is a yoke assembly that is curved
to fit the upper torso. The two components are
linked by bands that adjust for torso length and
Most agencies have a large inventory of field packs. The
body shape. Whether it is worn during line construction or
retrofit harness is an economical way to convert the modular
walking, the system is lightweight, rugged, and comfortable.
components of the field pack into a modern lower lumbar
Accessory lash points allow the user to customize the system
load-carrying system, extending the service life of the field
and add carrying options. The harness is designed to carry
pack and providing wildland firefighters with an improved
all of the modular field pack components, including the main
piece of load-carrying equipment.
pack, belt pack, canteen cases, and either the standard
fire shelter or the newly released new generation shelter
The retrofit harness will be available soon through the
(figures 2 and 3).
General Services Administration Federal supply schedules.
For additional information, contact: George Jackson, Project Leader; USDA Forest Service, MTDC; 5785 Hwy. 10 West; Missoula,
MT 59808–9361. Phone: 406–329–3967; fax: 406–329–3719; e-mail: gjackson@fs.fed.us
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Figure 2—The retrofit harness with the field
pack main pack (NFES No. 1559).
About the Authors—Bill Kilroy has a bachelor’s degree
from Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, and has done
graduate work at Golden Gate University, San Francisco,
and at the University of Montana in Missoula, MT. He began
his Forest Service career as an engineering draftsman at
MTDC in 1980 and has worked on many of the center’s
projects since then. He is the Forest Service’s COMSEC
custodian, coordinating the use of GPS receivers that have
been encoded with military codes for increased accuracy.
George Jackson has been part of the Forest Service’s fire
and aviation program since he began working on a district
fire crew for the Lolo National Forest in 1970. From 1974
to 1991, he was a smokejumper at the Missoula smokejumper
base. During the winters he was detailed to MTDC where he
worked on fire and aviation projects. He has been a project
leader at MTDC since 1991. In addition to project work, he
is an air tactical group supervisor and has served on many
wildland fire entrapment and fatality investigations.
Figure 3—The retrofit harness with the field
pack belt pack (NFES No. 0590).
Library Card—Kilroy, Bill. Jackson, George. 2003. Tech
Tip 0351–2324–MTDC. Retrofit harness for the firefighter’s
yellow field pack (NFES 1372). Missoula, MT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Missoula Technology
and Development Center. 2 p.
Describes a retrofit harness that can be used to turn the
yellow field pack system for wildland firefighters into a comfortable, modular lower lumbar pack design. The retrofit
harness replaces the current field pack harness (National
Fire Equipment System No. 1557) and the field pack belt
(National Fire Equipment System No. 1530). The retrofit
harness is a two-piece system, linking a waist belt that acts
as a back support and a yoke assembly that is curved to
fit the upper torso. The harness is designed to carry all of
the modular field pack components, including the main pack,
belt pack, canteen cases, and either the standard fire shelter
or the newly released new generation shelter.
Keywords: equipment, fire fighting, firefighting
Additional single copies of this document may be ordered from:
USDA FS, Missoula Technology and Development Center
5785 Hwy. 10 West
Missoula, MT 59808–9361
Phone: 406–329–3978
Fax: 406–329–3719
E-mail: wo_mtdc_pubs@fs.fed.us
Electronic copies of MTDC’s documents are available on the
Internet at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/t-d.php?link=pubs
For further technical information, contact George Jackson at
MTDC.
Phone: 406–329–3967
Fax: 406–329–3719
E-mail: gjackson@fs.fed.us
The Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has developed this information for the guidance of its employees, its contractors, and its cooperating Federal and State agencies, and is
not responsible for the interpretation or use of this information by anyone except its own employees. The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this document is for the information and convenience of the
reader, and does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.
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should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
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and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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